Patents Examined by Kevin P Mahne
  • Patent number: 10414368
    Abstract: A method for determining an impact location of an object on a vehicle including reading in a first sensor signal value of a first sensor of the vehicle at a predefined first point in time, a second sensor signal value of the first sensor at a predefined second point in time following the first point in time, and a sample value of a second sensor of the vehicle at a third point in time following the second point in time. Additionally, an interpolation point is calculated from the first sensor signal value and the second sensor signal value by using the sample value, at least one component of the interpolation point corresponding to the sample value. A time lag between an interpolation instant assigned to the interpolation point, and the third point in time takes place. Finally, the time lag is used for determining the impact location of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Prakasha Taranagara Joga, Marlon Ramon Ewert, Gunther Lang
  • Patent number: 10417907
    Abstract: Processing position data relating to a vehicle, in order to determine the start of a search for a parking space, includes determining an end position and determining at least one inefficiency value by comparing at least part of a drive with at least one linear distance to the end position, wherein the at least one inefficiency value identifies an inefficiency of the drive. The process further includes determining at least one route inefficiency value based on position data from a map to verify an identified inefficiency for at least one position for which an inefficiency has been identified. Parking space search traffic can then be output, as detected, if there is a route inefficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Heidrun Belzner, Daniel Kotzor
  • Patent number: 10362726
    Abstract: An on-the-go monitor and control means and method for an agriculture machines includes on-the-go soil sensors that can be used to control tillage and seeding depth. On seeder implements, the sensors provide information that affects uniform plant emergence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Ag Leader Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Roger R. Zielke
  • Patent number: 10349573
    Abstract: Efficient towed implement guidance to a desired path is achieved by guiding a towing vehicle toward a path on the opposite side of a desired path, then guiding the vehicle back to the desired path. Efficient forward implement guidance to a desired path is achieved by guiding a pushing vehicle along a tractrix. A vehicle leaves a straight line along a tractrix to keep a rear implement on the line as long as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Trimble Inc.
    Inventors: John W. Peake, Stephan Pleines
  • Patent number: 10336315
    Abstract: A controller and a control strategy minimizes shift shock in a hybrid electric vehicle during a downshift conducted while the vehicle is in a regenerative braking mode by maintaining total powertrain torque at a desired target during the downshift. The controller has three preferable modes including modulating just engine torque, modulating just electric motor torque or simultaneously modulating both motor and engine torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Barney D Nefcy, Francis Thomas Connolly, Dan Colvin, Walt Joseph Ortmann, Marvin Paul Kraska, Dale Scott Crombez, Mark Steven Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10338800
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to generate navigational imagery to help users pilot and/or otherwise operate mobile structures. A pilot display system includes one or more logic devices configured to communicate with various sensors, such as a ranging sensor and a speed, position, and/or orientation sensor (SPOS) mounted to a mobile structure, and one or more user interfaces, which may include one or more displays. At least one user interface is in proximity to a mobile structure and/or a user of a mobile structure and is configured to receive user input and provide user feedback with respect to a mobile structure. The logic devices are configured to render a reference icon on a display substantially statically relative to the display, to receive user selection of a target icon, and to render a target dialog substantially statically relative to the selected target icon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: FLIR Belgium BVBA
    Inventors: Mark Rivers, Mark Garland
  • Patent number: 10311722
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed which is operable to detect and identify vehicles, where individual vehicles each have at least one RFID communication device mounted thereon close to the surface on which the vehicle travels, and a vehicle's RFID communication device(s) is/are operable to transmit to the apparatus a signal indicating that vehicle's identity, the apparatus including an RFID reader, the RFID reader having an antenna which is operable to be positioned on or in the surface on which the vehicles travel, and the antenna (which may be an “adapted dipole” antenna) is operable to transmit a signal to a vehicle's RFID communication device(s) and to receive a backscattered modulated signal from a RFID communication device on that vehicle indicating that vehicle's identity, such that that vehicle is thereby detected and identified by the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: LICENSYS AUSTRALASIA PTY LTD
    Inventors: Albertus Jacobus Pretorius, Andy Goran Olsson
  • Patent number: 10286920
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a working machine having a vehicle which comprises a chassis, a drive motor and a monitoring unit, which is fixed to the vehicle, for outputting operating information and also warning and interference messages for the operation of the drive motor, having a working assembly, in particular concrete pump, which can be transported on the chassis and is supplied with drive energy from the drive motor in a working mode, and having a mobile remote control device, which can be operated remotely from the chassis, for the working assembly. The remote control device comprises a mobile monitoring unit which is designed to output warning and interference messages for the operation of the drive motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: PUTZMEISTER ENGINEERING GMBH
    Inventors: Martin Mayer, Dirk Jahn
  • Patent number: 10266170
    Abstract: A controller controls an electric motor such that a pulsation compensation torque corresponding to a pulsation component of a torque of an internal combustion engine, which appears in a drive shaft, is supplied to the drive shaft as a damping torque for suppressing vibrations of a hybrid vehicle. A determination is made as to whether a torque of the electric motor, excluding the pulsation compensation torque, is smaller than a predetermined value. When it is determined that the torque excluding the pulsation compensation torque is smaller than the predetermined value, the controller selects one mode having a highest energy efficiency of the hybrid vehicle from among a plurality of modes, and controls the internal combustion engine and the electric motor based on the selected mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Kawai, Takuro Kumada
  • Patent number: 10261512
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle having one or more computing devices that may receive instructions to pick up a passenger at a pickup location and determine when the vehicle is within a first distance of the pickup location. When the vehicle is within the first distance, the computing devices may make a first attempt to find a spot to park the vehicle and wait for the passenger. When the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the first attempt, the computing devices may maneuvering the vehicle in order to make a second attempt to find a spot to park the vehicle and wait for the passenger. When the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the second attempt, the computing devices may stop the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Brian Douglas Cullinane, David Tse-Zhou Lu, Anne Kristiina Aula, Jennifer Arden, Nathaniel Fairfield, Joshua Seth Herbach, Calvin Karl Johnson, Renaud-Roland Hubert
  • Patent number: 10239523
    Abstract: Disclosed is a route evaluation device that enables traveling along a route in consideration of an operation of the driver of another vehicle, and can realize a safer traffic environment. A route evaluation device includes a route candidate generation section that generates route candidates of a host-vehicle, a route prediction section that predicts routes of another vehicle, a classification section that classifies the interference states of the route candidates of the host-vehicle and the predicted routes of another vehicle into a plurality of interference forms, and a route evaluation section that evaluates the routes of the host-vehicle on the basis of the interference forms classified by the classification section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Hiromitsu Urano, Kazuaki Aso, Masahiro Harada, Toshiki Kindo
  • Patent number: 10227809
    Abstract: Technologies for reducing vehicle door collisions include an in-vehicle compute device configured to determine a proximity between a door of a vehicle and a structure while the door is being opened and activate a door collision avoidance system of the vehicle to slow or restrict the opening of the door in response to a determination that the proximity of the door to the structure is within a proximity threshold. The door collision avoidance system may include one or more electro-magnets, one or more actuators, and/or one or more electro-active polymer devices. The in-vehicle compute device may also control the operation of the door based on a context of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Tomer Rider, Hong Wei Teh
  • Patent number: 10219422
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprising wirelessly receiving a signal comprising information about a deviation to a first wayline; and applying the deviation to a second wayline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: AGCO Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy Dan Buhler, Gerald R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 10202145
    Abstract: In an electric power steering system, a low-pass filter executes a low-pass filtering process on a detected steering torque value detected by a torque sensor. A steering torque deviation computing unit computes a deviation ?T between a detected steering torque value T* obtained through the low-pass filtering process and the detected steering torque value detected by the torque sensor. A PI control unit generates a vibration compensation value used to lead the detected steering torque value to the steering torque value obtained through the low-pass filtering process, by executing PI computation on the steering torque deviation computed by the steering torque deviation computing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji Kariatsumari, Tatsuma Kouchi
  • Patent number: 10202146
    Abstract: A steering control device capable of causing a steering torque to follow a target steering torque when a driver holds a steering wheel for steering, and making an adjustment so that the steering wheel returns to a neutral position at an appropriate speed, when the driver releases his or her hands from the steering wheel. A motor is controlled based on a motor steering assist torque, which is a sum of a first steering assist torque, which is proportional to an integral value of a deviation between the target steering torque and the steering torque, and a second steering assist torque, which is proportional to a motor rotational angular velocity and acting in a direction of suppressing a return speed of the steering wheel when the steering wheel returns to the neutral position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaya Endo, Hidetoshi Ikeda, Yoshihiko Kinpara, Hiroaki Kitano
  • Patent number: 10181266
    Abstract: Various aspects of a system and method to provide driving assistance are disclosed herein. The system comprises one or more circuits in an electronic control unit used in a vehicle configured to detect one or more actions associated with the vehicle based on one or more signals generated by one or more sensors embedded in the vehicle. The electronic control unit may be further configured to control the activation of an imaging device located on the vehicle at an opposite side of a driver of the vehicle, based on the detected one or more actions. The imaging device is operable to capture one or more images in a forward-facing direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Manish Gupta, Pramod Chintalapoodi, Sho Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10137745
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for gravity-driven pumps, gravity-driven power generators that power electric pumps, as well as various supporting concepts, mechanisms, and approaches. As a tire rotates around an axle, the pull of gravity varies for a given point on the tire. While gravity is always pulling ‘down’, the force relative to a fixed point on the tire changes. Gravity-driven pumps exploit these changes in gravitational force to do work. Automatic, gravity-driven pumps can be used to inflate tires to offset the natural gas leakage of modern tires, and can maintain tire pressure and inflation within a desired or optimal range. As different conditions are met, pump parameters are determined which can adjust the pumps. Such conditions include driving patterns, load, and temperature, and resulting adjustments include turning on and off pumps, varying stroke length, and varying the number of strokes required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: INTELLIAIRE, LLC
    Inventor: Scott McClellan
  • Patent number: 10121293
    Abstract: A method includes detecting at least one position measurement of a separator piston of a pitch trim actuator. The method includes detecting at least one pressure measurement of an oil. The method includes detecting at least one temperature measurement of the oil. The method includes storing at least one position value based on the at least one position measurement of the separator piston, at least one pressure value based on the at least one pressure measurement of the oil and at least one temperature value based on the at least one temperature measurement of the oil. The method includes determining whether the pitch trim actuator requires servicing based on the at least one position value, the at least one pressure value, and the at least one temperature value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Goodrich Corporation
    Inventors: Amir M Fazeli, Adnan Cepic, Susanne M Reber
  • Patent number: 10101432
    Abstract: A system includes a first vehicle having an emitter configured to emit a high RF signal synchronously with at least one EM pulse, and a receiver unit located remote from the first vehicle. The receiver unit includes a magnetic field receiver, an RF transceiver, and a processing module coupled to the RF transceiver and the magnetic field receiver. The receiver unit is configured to receive the high RF signal and the at least one EM pulse from the first vehicle and to determine a proximity of the first vehicle to the receiver unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Dmitri Fechine, Steven Clifton
  • Patent number: 10072932
    Abstract: A mobile-device-based system for classifying a mode of transportation during a trip includes a mobile device including a location detection system and an accelerometer. The mobile device is configured to collect location data and acceleration data during the trip. The system also includes a data processing block configured to receive the location data from the mobile device, receive contextual data related to a plurality of transportation systems, and process the location data and at least a portion of the contextual data using a first transportation mode classifier associated with a first of the plurality of transportation systems and at least a second portion of the contextual data using a second transportation mode classifier associated with a second of the plurality of transportation systems. The data processing block is also configured to classify the mode of transportation during the trip and update the classifiers based on user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: TRUEMOTION, INC.
    Inventors: Brad Cordova, Sanujit Sahoo